Tag Archives: Gift Book

LA NY: Aerial Photographs of Los Angeles and New York

LANYLA NY: Aerial Photographs of Los Angeles and New York

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LA NY is a dazzling visual tale of two cities, Los Angeles and New York, as seen from the air. Photographed straight down at a ninety-degree angle to emphasize the particular patterns of place, how the urban grid adapts to local topography, and how the topography itself adapts to human purposes, these two cities are revealed as never before in astonishing detail. Photographer Jeffrey Milstein explores residential and commercial neighborhoods, parks and recreation spots, as well as industrial districts and the infrastructure of transportation. Iconic buildings and landmarks are easy to spot, alongside suburban housing developments, apartment complexes, commercial hubs, entertainment and financial centers, and airports and shipping terminals. Milstein’s work deftly combines architecture, science, and art.

Using high-resolution cameras mounted to a stabilizing gyro, Milstein leaned out of helicopters over Los Angeles where he grew up and over New York where he now lives, looking for shapes and patterns of culture from above, continually awed by the difference an aerial view makes. In addition to the urban topography, events and activities have also been captured, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and outings at the beach.

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National Geographic Atlas of Beer: A Globe-Trotting Journey Through the World of Beer

ATLAS OF BEERNational Geographic Atlas of Beer: A Globe-Trotting Journey Through the World of Beer

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This ultimate beer lover’s guide to the world is filled with stunning photography, unique drinking destinations, little-known histories, and insider knowledge from brewers and bar owners around the globe. This cover has a vintage design and a slightly worn look is intentional.

The most comprehensive beer atlas available, this richly illustrated compendium includes more beers and more countries than any other book of its kind. Including beer recommendations from Garrett Oliver, the renowned brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, and written by “beer geographers” Nancy Hoalst-Pullen and Mark Patterson, this indispensable guide features more than 100 illuminating maps and 200 beautiful color photos. You’ll find beer history, trends, and tasting across six continents (and how to order a beer in 14 languages!). Travel tips include the best breweries, beer festivals, and pubs in each location. Smart, compelling, and practical, this essential guide will help you discover the best beer wherever you are.

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The World Atlas of Tea: From the Leaf to the Cup, the World’s Teas Explored and Enjoyed

world-atlas-of-tea The World Atlas of Tea: From the Leaf to the Cup, the World’s Teas Explored and Enjoyed by Kisi Smith

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The United States is the fourth largest global consumer of tea, with Canada following right behind. Black tea is the most popular but green tea sales are growing rapidly — more than 60 percent in ten years — driven by its proven health benefits. Specialty tea outlets are expected to double to nearly 8,000 by 2018 and an additional 40,000 coffee retailers are expected to generate more than 30 percent of their beverage sales from tea.

The World Atlas of Tea covers tea from the ground up, including why the soil in China makes different tea than the soil in India. Tea mixologist Krisi Smith explains what a tea drinker needs to know to appreciate teas of all descriptions. She follows tea from the plantation to harvesting and processing to how to make the perfect cup. The book is illustrated throughout with beautiful color photographs taken in the field.

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Transit Maps of the World

Transit Maps of the WorldTransit Maps of the World by Mark Ovenden

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A completely updated and expanded edition of the cult bestseller, featuring subway, light rail, and streetcar maps from New York to Nizhny Novgorod

Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historical and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. In glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the cartographic history of mass transit—including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication.

Now expanded with thirty-six more pages, 250 city maps revised from previous editions, and listings given from almost a thousand systems in total, this is the graphic designer’s new bible, the transport enthusiast’s dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who’s ever traveled in a city.

 

“Ovenden does what no other design history book has ever done. Transit Maps of the World is a must-have.”
The New York Times Book Review

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Higher: 100 Years of Boeing

Higher 100 years of BoeingHigher: 100 Years of Boeing by Russ Banham

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Over the course of a century, the Boeing Company has grown from a small outfit operating out of a converted boathouse producing a single pontoon plane made from canvas and wood into the world’s largest aerospace company. The thrilling story of the celebrated organization is one filled with ambition, ingenuity, and a passion to exceed expectations. Higher 2 In this lavishly illustrated book, published to coincide with Boeing’s 100th anniversary, Pulitzer Prize nominated author Russ Banham recounts the tale of a company and an industry like no other one that has put men on the moon, defended the free world, and changed the way we live.”

Higher 3“HIGHER ably commemorates Boeing’s enduring achievement, gliding nimbly through its triumphs of design, engineering and manufacture and, not least, its memorable contributions to wars won.”
-The Wall Street Journal”

a lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched overview of the aerospace giant’s first century.”
-Aviation Week

 

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Atlas of Cursed Places: A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations

Atlas of Curesed PlacesAtlas of Cursed Places: A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations by Olivier Le Carrer

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Oliver Le Carrer brings us a fascinating history and armchair journey to the world’s most dangerous and frightful places, complete with vintage maps and period illustrations in a handsome volume.This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death. The locations gathered here include the dangerous Strait of Messina, home of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared; and Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, the world’s second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Library Journal

11/01/2015
This is the English translation of a 2013 French publication (Le rêve d’une île) by Le Carrer, a dedicated maritime adventurer and storyteller (the French version also credits his wife, Sybille Le Carrer). The book outlines 40 sites across the planet that are “cursed” in one of three ways—places “bound up with admonitions of a mystical order” (e.g., the Bermuda Triangle); those that “for a variety of natural reasons…enduringly blight the lives of the local populations or present a real danger to local people and visitors alike” (e.g. Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands whose possible collapse could cause a tsunami that would inundate the Americas); and places “rendered uninhabitable by human activity” (e.g., Nauru, where the exhaustion of the phosphate deposits has completely collapsed the island’s economy and viability). Each entry includes one or more vintage maps with descriptive narrative. VERDICT This tour of the world’s more unusual, frightening, and mysterious locations offers serious social commentary on human failings but is also whimsical in its approach. Highly recommended for reading by the fireside on a stormy night.—Edward K. Werner, formerly with St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL

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The Explorers Guild, Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala

The Explores GuildThe Explorers Guild, Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala by Jon Baird & Kevin Costner, Illustrated by Rick Ross

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The golden age of adventure stories returns with this splendidly designed, action-packed, globe-trotting tale that combines the bravura storytelling of Kipling with the irresistible style of “The Adventures of Tintin.”
Behind the staid public rooms of an old world gentlemen s club operates a more mysterious organization: The Explorers Guild, a clandestine group of adventurers who bravely journey to those places in which light gives way to shadow and reason is usurped by myth. The secrets they seek are hidden in mountain ranges and lost in deserts, buried in the ocean floor and lodged deep in polar ice. The aim of The Explorers Guild: to discover the mysteries that lie beyond the boundaries of the known world.
Set against the backdrop of World War I, with Western Civilization on the edge of calamity, the first installment in “The Explorers Guild” series, “A Passage to Shambhala,” concerns the Guild’s quest to find the golden city of Buddhist myth. The search will take them from the Polar North to the Mongolian deserts, through the underground canals of Asia to deep inside the Himalayas, before the fabled city finally divulges its secrets and the globe-spanning journey plays out to its startling conclusion.
“The Explorers Guild” is a rare publishing opportunity, powered by the creative passion of one of the world s true storytelling masters, Kevin Costner.”

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Great Escapes: Enjoy the World at Your Leisure

Great Escapes Lonely PlanetGreat Escapes: Enjoy the World at Your Leisure by Lonely Planet

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Beach paradises. Luxury hideaways. Cultural thrills. The perfect getaway. Great Escapes showcases the world’s most enjoyable escapes celebrates the sheer pleasure of travel. Take time out to indulge in romantic getaways, culinary adventures, musical journeys and family holidays. Or simply revel in pure relaxation. You deserve it! Now available in paperback.

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World’s Best Cities: Celebrating 220 Great Destinations

World's Best Cities National GeographicWorld’s Best Cities: Celebrating 220 Great Destinations by National Geographic

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Delving into the heart and soul of more than 225 cities around the globe, “World’s Best Citie”s is a glossy, glorious tribute to cosmopolitan life. In photos and words, this irresistible volume showcases long-established great cities like Paris, Rome, New York, London, and Tokyo, as well as exciting up-and-comers, including Denver, Asheville, Oslo, and Abu Dhabi. As readable as it is beautiful, this expansive travel guide offers a playful, informative mix of inspirational personal narratives; photo galleries, and fun facts; plus sidebars on oddities; where to find the best food and shopping; novels that capture a particular city’s atmosphere; local secrets; and more. Many additional cities appear in illustrated lists, such as eco-friendly cities, foodie cities; and happiest cities. The twenty-first century is the Century of the City, and on-the-go visitors and armchair travelers alike will make “World’s Best Cities” a must-have volume to accompany all their urban adventures.

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